Back in March we were traveling toward Wendover Nevada when someone in the car noticed a blimp off in the far distance.  Questions arose as to what it was all about and most of us decided it must be some sort of weather devise.  We were happy with that assumption.  BUT, I just found out what it really was all about.  This story was posted on KSL’s site:

DUGWAY PROVING GROUND — The ability to fly fast and stealthily are anchors of the military’s quest for air superiority.

So how does a blimp the size of a football field that is tethered to the ground fit in to that equation?

The Army and defense contractor Raytheon are hoping the radar system mounted in the anything-but-stealth blimp — often seen by motorists driving on I-80 — can be a defense against incoming cruise missiles and other threats that are too close to the earth to be seen by ground-based radar systems.

“It goes up to 10,000 feet. It can track airplanes, cruise missiles, boats, up to 100 miles and around mountains,” said Mark Rose, program manager for Raytheon’s Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System, or JLENS.

Airplane-mounted radar systems do the same thing, but at a much higher cost. The airplane crews also have a limited amount of time in the air before they have to land.

The “crew” of the blimp, on the other hand, is on the ground and communicates with the radar equipment aloft through cabling in the tether that keeps the pilotless, engineless blimp from floating away.

In the air, the blimp can be on duty 24/7 for as long as a month, “unlike an airplane that has to come down often,” Rose said.

JLENS is an early warning system. In a battle setting, it works in pairs, with defensive radar in one balloon and a second radar system in the other that helps warplanes and ground forces find targets.

The blimp’s own defenses against attack are twofold: “Because of its range, its ability to look out hundreds of miles, it is far back from the battle area,” Raytheon spokesman Mike Nason said.

Up close, the helium that lifts the blimp is contained in small cells that can take direct hits without downing the craft.

“It’s not like a toy balloon that goes ‘pop’,” Rose said. “Even if it does get holes in it, it doesn’t come down for weeks.”

Raytheon has been testing the new system on the Utah Test and Training Range for the Army at Dugway for the past year and has recently been testing the system at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

The test blimp in Utah’s western desert is in the air most of the time, since endurance is part of the testing, Nason said. It is likely to remain visible to motorists for some time with testing scheduled to continue for another year.

Email:sfidel@ksl.com

So, there you have it!

Bears Butt

July 26, 2013

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/watercar-panther-amphibious-off-road-vehicle-sets-sail-202554676.html

OH YA!

Bears Butt

July 25, 2013

Looking at the internet this morning I found where in Baltimore Maryland there is a group, supported by the mayor, offering laptops and training to use them to people who are willing to bring in a gun, no questions asked.

They say the crime rate is so high in that city they are doing anything they can to get the guns off the streets and this is just one way.  Some of the supporters are saying that by getting these thugs to give up their guns and get some training on how to use the computers will help the city in a big way…by the way, they have 150 of these refurbished laptops.  I guess 150 guns would be a big thing to get off the streets.

I question the use of the laptops however, these thugs have their reasons for being on the streets with guns in the first place and it’s not because they have nice homes and internet access.  So, give them a laptop and what are they going to do with it?  They surely can’t afford an internet connection and so off to the pawn shop it will go and another gun will be the end result of the sale…just my opinion.  Of course they won’t be able to find ammo for it so it will be about as useful as a laptop without internet.

This reminds me of a time many years ago when the Salt Lake City police decided it would be a good thing to invite the public to bring their automatic weapons to the DWR range and shoot them.  The advertisement went something like this:  You’ve owned your automatic weapons for many years and never been able to shoot them.  Now is the time!  Come on down to the Lee Kay Center on Saturday (whatever date) at 9 a.m. and you will be allowed to shoot all day long.  No cost!  Free Entrance to the center.  Meet the police chief and his deputies for this fun event!  Bring lots of ammo as those rifles really eat it up!  What a fun day it will be!  Tell all your friends about this event and get them to bring their automatic weapons along as well!  Free hot dogs and drinks!

I made all of that up of course, but there were flyers all over town and 15 second ads on the radio as well.  There was a guy who worked “up stairs” from my work and he came down and told me about it.  He was excited as heck to think he could pull his old military weapons out and go shoot ’em.  He thought I would be as excited as he was, but I told him I wasn’t into that sort of thing.  Muzzleloaders were my style.  And then again on the Friday before the event, he came down once more to find out if I had changed my mind.  He even had pictures of his automatic weapons that he was taking to the center the next day to shoot.  If ever there was a guy who was excited about it, he was the picture on the book!  I’ll even bet he had dreams about it and very little sleep just thinking about it.  I know for a fact his work suffered from his inattention.

On the following Monday he came into my office in a rage!  His guns and ammo had all be confiscated by the police as he crossed into the Center.  The ruse netted several automatic gun owners that day and off to jail they went.  They met the Chief of police all right and a lot of the deputies as well.  His story was one of woe and disaster and of course the “I’m gonna sue” statements.  To my knowledge he never got his guns or ammo back…everyone knows it’s illegal to own automatic weapons, at least here in Utah.  He was too excited to think he could go out and shoot his guns to rationally think the police were really sponsoring such an event.  And they didn’t even offer him a laptop.

Bears Butt

July 13, 2013

The books are closed for the yearly hay efforts on the farm.  A near record crop for our small 14 acres of ground dedicated to that portion of our endevors,  1927 bales!  Just a little over 200 more than our 9 year average production!  Thanks to everyone who played a hand in any and all of the farm work this year.  It takes a bunch of folks to make this happen.

When you think about it, it makes you proud to think that there are a bunch of people, family or not, that are willing to take so much of their own time out of their busy schedules to come down and dig ditches, string fence, chase “goddamits”, fork loose hay and buck bales; and for what do they get paid?  A nice big home cooked meal, a picnic over the Easter weekend and a place to camp for rendezvous.  That really isn’t a lot of pay for all the hard work that is done.  I thank you all!

There aren’t many places you can go in this world where you find a similar thing happening, year after year.  For sure this sort of thing bonds the family together and keeps friends close at the same time.  Work hard, Play hard!  I can’t think of anything better.

Now it’s time to get caught up on all the stuff that has had to take a back seat and then move forward to “fun stuff”!  I best get away from this computer and go set the water on the burnt up lawn!

Bears Butt

July 11, 2013

It speaks for itself…she says…Grab Your stuff….we’re headed for bed~

I’m back!

With a concerted effort on all parties, the hay is finally in the barn for this season.  Yesterday was a roller coaster ride all by itself.  We started off with a brief rain that didn’t even register on the rain gauge, but a guy Tracker works with said he had to turn on his windshield wipers coming through town.

Next was the late start by everyone except Bones…I had a doctor appointment with Sherry, Wapiti had one with Marla, Rick with Diane and Duck with Carol…are we all getting old or what?

The plan was to hit the field about 11:30 and start picking up bales.  We figured Landon would have all the baling done over North by the time we got down to the field.  I entered from the North and Landon was no where to be seen.  I called him and he said the hay was too wet and that he had walked home to wait until it was dry enough and besides he had some sprinkler pipes to move.

So, we hauled what we could to the barn…the day got hotter…finally Landon showed up about 3 p.m. and pounded out the rest of the hay over north.  We moved in as he baled and picked up the hay and took it to the barn.  More help trickled in and it was very welcome help, as we were getting quite worn out…we are old you know…the youngest of us is 62 and the oldest 73!  That’s saying something for us oldies but goodies.

Our last hay buyer came in about 6:30 and picked up 160 bales.  By the time the load was heading out, I looked at my shirt and I was soaked, my gloves were almost dripping wet with sweat and my levies were soaked down to the crotch…was it hot enough?

On the up side, we only had two more loads of hay to put into the barn and then the job was done!  We were all feeling a second wind and got the two loads in quite quickly!  Good job to all!

Bones and Tracker had to get home and get to bed by the time we were done.  Tracker had to get up at 2 a.m. to go to work and so they didn’t get the chance to sit down and enjoy a celebration beer with salt.  Those of us who stayed for a beer enjoyed it fully.  After the 3rd one, the slight breeze that was blowing around us had me feeling very cold.  The breeze was blowing through my wet clothes and made me feel like a swamp cooler.  We all packed it up and left about an hour after Bones and Tracker left.

Thanks to everyone who showed up to help with this hot and very tiring task.  It’s done for 2013, now to try and salvage what suffered during these last two weeks…lawn watering, park cleanup, house cleaning and repairs, bills etc.

It seems that this time of year really taxes each of us but when it’s done it is a welcome task to have behind us.  Maybe we need to think of another way to make a couple of dollars on that property.

Bears Butt

July 9, 2013

It has been a few days since I last posted anything on here…life has been a whirlwind lately.

We got through the 4th of July and you read about the muzz shooting event and how successful that was.  A big thank you to all of you who came and supported that event.  As hot as it was, it was still a fun time and I believe everyone had a great time…I sure did.

The 5th of July started off with raking the hay for the second time and the baler moving in to bale what was ready.  We were expecting a buyer to come in later in the afternoon, but a call from them had them delaying until Saturday…not a good scene for us, as there was a 40% chance of rain coming and we didn’t want the hay to get wet.  The plan was then to move the hay into the barn.

Baler problems always seems to plaque us this time of year.  Humidity issues, rain and especially wind are always on our minds.  So, with all of these things “happening” the baling went well for a time and then not so well at other times.  Running for bolts and nuts, stopping for adjustments and finally things started to work as they should.

A quick call to the buyer from Idaho and they were on their way to come and get the hay they ordered.

We had half their order on one of the trailers and were in the process of loading the second when the dreaded evening thunderstorm loomed in the West skies!  The sound of thunder could be heard in the distance above the roar of the tractor and the baler.  The baler was pounding out bales as fast as it could and we were busy loading them on the trailer as they fell out.

Suddenly a huge micro-burst of wind came whipping through the field scattering hay as it went.  The baler kept on baling through it all but the buyers called an end to loading and a cry to “square it off and tie it down” came bellowing through the howling wind.

The baler kept on baling and the crew on the ground kept picking up the bales and heading them for the barn.  It’s really comforting to see a crew of people working so diligently on the annual project called “hay hauling”.  It’s not a fun job and it’s a sweat filled, hay chaff choking time with little or no rest when the work is being pounded out.

Saturday is usually the culmination of the hay hauling, with always a long line of hay buyers coming and going from the fields, empty wagons and trucks coming in, and full ones leaving.  As for me it is usually running from one buyers rig to another making sure of what they wanted as far as numbers of bales and picking up their payment on the way out.  This year we have not been so fortunate.

Most of the usual buyers of larger quantities of hay cancelled out because of the holiday weekend or they found closer hay for a little better price, which means we have to put more into the barn.  That is not a problem as far as selling the hay because it will be worth a lot more later in the season, when there is snow on the ground and people are unable to find hay.  But the problem is in the helping hands.  Saturday is a large crew day and after that the crew size diminishes drastically as people have to go back to work and the other activities they have planned.

Back to Saturday:  Early Saturday morning a rain storm came through and put down just enough rain (.04 inches) to cause us to have to delay raking and baling until after the noon hour.  Buyers were put on standby or they just flat out cancelled their order.  The baler moved in and pounded out hay as quickly as he could.  Standby buyers were called and they came as they could and picked up their hay and still the baler pounded out bales.  Suddenly, BLAMMMM!  A very ugly sound came echoing from the direction of the baler…down for the count!  Broken drive chain, busted pivot arm…all the parts stores are closed after 1 p.m….calls were made back to the standby buyers for another delay.

The wagon comes back out and the work crew picks up all the rest of the bales and takes them to the barn.  We are done for the day at 3 p.m.

At 5:30 p.m., we have Mulberry Park all fixed up with awnings and tables and chairs and Dee and her crew of helpers brings out the food!  30 pounds of perfectly roasted beef, 30 pounds of absolutely melt in your mouth pork roast, large pots of mashed potatoes and home made drippings gravy…salads of every sort, fruit, rolls, butter and all the drinks you can consume!  What a feast!  The crowd is large, as it should be, family, friends and all those who helped with the ditches, fences and haying diving into the feast with all they could.  I personally stuffed myself like I always do at Thanksgiving.  This culminates our year of farm work………usually.  Not so this year as we still have about half the crop still in windrows in the fields.

I say still in windrows, at least as much as the evening winds have left them in windrows.

Today is Monday, July 8, last night we once again had .04 inches of rain fall and are waiting for the ground and hay to dry before we can rake it up.  Donell is busy trying to make last minute fixes to his baler and plans on returning to the field about noon today.  Will today be any better than last Saturday?  That is anyone’s guess.  I have said a silent prayer that the hay gets done today, or at least by tomorrow.  We have one last buyer who has to make two trips to get the amount they need.  The weather for today calls for 30% chance of more rain this afternoon and then we have two full days of no predicted rain before the next storm is forecast to hit.  I’d like nothing better than to wake up in the morning with dry baled hay on the ground and could make a call to the buyer to come and get load number one and expect to pick up number two load on Wednesday.

This has got to be the longest running “working on the hay” since the days they stacked it loose on the wagon and drove the team of horses to the barn to unload it with the derrick fork.

Please God, there is more to life than sweating it out on the farm.

Bears Butt

July 8, 2013

It’s early on the 5th of July and it rained .04 inches during the early morning hours.  Usually a welcome rain but this time it’s not…we have our hay down and the baler is due to come in this morning.  The rain is going to put a delay on things.

But, yesterday was a pretty good day!  The usual parade with the mountain men in it was a fun deal!  Fat Duck and Conner at the helm, Wapiti at his usual best manners, Weasel and Dry Dog in the back of the trailer (float) and me trying to keep things orderly..I went through almost a full powder horn of powder and nearly a full round of crape paper (bullets).  The crowd seemed to be pleased with it all…don’t forget at the next election to write in Wapiti Dung for Sheriff of Box Elder County, and keep in mind as well that he says he will do away with the prison, give each deputy a muzz shotgun and a horse to ride.  If elected we have to hold him to those promises.

I wish I would have taken a moment to take a picture of the shoot up at the gravel pit!  The crowd was the largest to date!  With a total of 67 people on site, 42 shooters and everyone seeming to be having a good time in spite of the heat!  It had to be close to 110 degrees up there.  The fire department even sent up two cases of water for us to drink and quite a bit of it did get consumed.  All the spectators and shooters came well equipped with liquid refreshments and I was glad.

The shoot was a fun one.  We had 42 shooters including I think 8 from the Brigham City Bowmen group.  Talk about an impressing group of bow shooters!  They won quite a few of the prizes this year!  I think the muzz shooters need to get their game a bit more fine tuned!  Just sayin!

As usual I had a line up of shoots that surprised some people.  One of those was a Johnny Two hole shoot which required two shooters to pair up.  The paper is sectioned off into 4 equal quadrants and each of the two shooters shoots at two of the quadrants.  Now the paper should have 4 holes in it, one in each of the quadrants.  The partner is now required to hit his partners holes with his next two shots.

We had a team that shot the target and had two of the quadrants with touching shots, one quadrant with a space of less than an inch and the 4th quadrant where the holes were about 3 inches apart.  Compared with all the other shooters targets this one was clearly the winning target.  BUT, the envelope was pulled out and the wording read that the “worst target” would be the winner.  DANG!  Am I bad or what?

The second best target was a shoot at lolly pops.  These lolly pops had a looped string for the handle.  The shoot was to put your shot inside the loop without hitting the string….Two of the bowmen put their arrow exactly inside the loop.  I had 4 prizes and had to choose two of the muzz shooters who hit their strings for 3rd and 4th!  I’ll tell you, those bowmen can flat out shoot those sticks!

In my shoots you never know how the wind is going to blow, but we try to make it fun for everyone and try to make sure everyone wins.  The Brigham Bowmen gave us some shirts and hats and we gave them away as fairly as we could.

The prizes we had for each of the shoots were donated from the Willard City Volunteer Fire Department, Kendall Chambers, Cover Up Embroidery, Larry’s Service, of course the Brigham Bowmen and a very fine scrimshaw moose bone necklace from Garth Barker.  Garth has learned the art of scrimshaw and is really showing his talent in a big way!  Thank you all for the donations, without those I could only give out money as prizes and that isn’t as much fun.

Speaking of money I have $400 to give to the Willard City Volunteer Fire Department, thanks to all of those shooters who came to play!

A hearty THANK YOU to Arnell Wells and Granite Construction for letting us play in the gravel pit!

THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING TO THE SHOOT!!!!

Bears Butt

July 5, 2013

Taking a break from all the activities of the day, so far…and add to that more record breaking heat!  I feel like my skin is nothing but dried salt and I can’t get enough water to satisfy my thirst.  Even dill pickles are having a time keeping me moving!  It’s been quite the day so far.

It’s 2:26 right now and cool next to the vent in the house where I’m sitting.  A nice spot to be, but soon I seem myself venturing out into the blazing heat to do the next two big tasks…picking up a porta potty from the city and lastly, setting up the range in the gravel pit!  Now that last task will be a hot sucker!

Bounce the already hot sunlight off a mile long west facing rock face and it’s like being in a home made sunlite oven…I’ll be sure and take lots of cold refreshments with me and I hope my helpers do the same.

The stage is already set for the mornings parade through town and then the muzzy shoot at 1 p.m.  There isn’t any sense having people shooting their rifles in a cool atmosphere.  Let’s pick the hottest time of the day and enjoy it to its fullest!

By the way, if you didn’t catch the show that was held last night by the city folks, you might want to scroll down to the next story and hear what Bears Butt had to say during his time on the stage!  Thanks Weasel for posting that up on here!

Bears Butt

July 3, 2013

104 degrees according to my computer temp weather site!  Is that hot enough for you?  I’m cookin!

A late posting today because of all the “excitement” going on around here.  We got half the hay raked this morning and the rest should get done in the morning.  This heat will dry it out really good and really fast…that’s good because the baler moves in on Friday morning.

An exceptional crop this year but I lost about 500 bales sold to people backing out for various reasons…oh well…into the barn it goes and when it does get sold it will be at a premium price.

For those buyers who are still coming, you will be very happy with this years bales!  Lots of timothy!  And of course the low price!

Tonight it’s the town talent show and I’m on the schedule as the intermission between the real talented people!  We will see how well it goes.

Tomorrow morning is raking the hay and hopefully finishing that job up.  Then helping Sherry if she needs some help with her 4th of July project…I think she has lots of helpers…and then putting up the range about 5 p.m.  In the evening it’s the Firemans dinner and dance after that.

We will take the agenda that far and see how it all plays out.  There truly is some meaning to the statement “Work Expands to fill the time allocated”!

Bears Butt

July 2, 2013